2019 was another year of amazing books and literature. To be honest, I read nowhere near as much as I wanted, mainly due to the stresses of my final year at university. I tried to make up for my lack of reading during the summer and managed to find a great mixture of books. You might also have noticed that it’s not quite the end of the year, but I’m too eager to wait. Plus, this could help with potential Christmas presents for any book-lovers. So, here is the list of my favourite books that I read throughout 2019.
‘The Silent Patient’ by Alex Michaelides
Alicia Berenson has it all – she’s a famous painter, married to an up and coming fashion photographer. One evening, her husband Gabriel returns home from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, then takes on a vow of silence. Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist, eager to work with the infamous Alicia. His determination to unravel her mystery and get her to talk begins to consume him and reveals his own twisted past.
This was one of those books where I couldn’t quite figure out what was going on, but I still couldn’t put it down. The book changes perspectives, from Alicia’s life before her vow of silence, to Theo’s life at the forensic unit with Alicia. It becomes clear that Alicia’s life is full of intrigue, and she becomes a really unique and fascinating character. Theo becomes absorbed in trying to ‘fix’ Alicia as his own personal life takes a negative turn. His sort of obsession with his patient adds another sense of mystery and conspiracy. I found myself trying to figure out the plot of the story before I finished it, but nothing prepared me for the final twist at the end. All my initial confusion disappeared and everything fell into place at once. If you do start this book and, like me, you find yourself puzzled at times, trust me, it’s definitely worth the wait.
‘Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine’ by Gail Honeyman
One thing Eleanor Oliphant clearly lacks is social skills. She tends to say exactly what she’s thinking to whoever she may be talking to and is completely fine staying at home, eating pizza, and phoning her Mummy. Yet her social schedule is interrupted when she meets Raymond, the IT guy from her office. As she and Raymond grow closer, we begin to find out more about Eleanor’s damaged past and her desire to find true love.
Firstly, I’d like to say that I absolutely love Eleanor Oliphant. Her quirky habits, her weirdness and her obsession with cryptic crosswords initially got me thinking ‘who the hell is this character?’ But the more I read and the more we begin to uncover on Eleanor’s tragic past, the more I began to adore her. Eleanor goes through the ups and downs of love, friendship, and family, without realising that she deserves more than what life is giving her. ‘Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine’ is funny, captivating, and maybe a bit closer to home than a lot of us anticipated.
‘The Poison Tree’ by Erin Kelly
This novel begins with Karen and her nine-year-old daughter, Alice, who pick up Rex after suffering ten years in prison. The book jumps back and forth from the present day to the 1990s, when Karen first comes across the wild and exotic Biba, and her older brother, Rex. Together, the three of them endure a summer of drugs, sex, and alcohol, until their newfound freedom abruptly ends in disaster. As Karen’s present-day life is on the verge of destruction, she fights to protect her family and her growing secret.
I was a huge fan of Erin Kelly’s novel ‘He Said/She Said’, so I could not wait to get my hands on this next book. I find Kelly’s writing really intense and gripping, so I knew that this was going to be another page-turner. I also think that Kelly is the queen of writing really unlikeable characters. Biba in this novel is one of the most inconsiderate and unpredictable characters I have ever come across, which helps to add to the thriller/mystery side of the book. Both Karen and Rex continuously fall for her lies, until they both end up paying the price. I really enjoy books that jump back from present-day to the past, so this was definitely a bonus for me. If you love a psychological thriller, then this book is for you.
‘Thirteen Weddings’ by Paige Toon
A year ago, Bronte left Sydney for England for her best friend’s hen party. She stumbles across Alex, and after their one night together, they parted ways. Now, Bronte is working in London for an up and coming magazine and meets a new colleague, and as it turns out, Bronte knows him better than most - Alex. He is now engaged, but as his wedding day looms, neither Bronte nor Alex can deny the spark between them.
Paige Toon is the perfect romance author if you’re looking for a quick, light-hearted and easy read. Like I said, having just finished university where I specialised in the Holocaust, I was looking for something exactly like this. The story and relationships throughout the book are realistic, which I sometimes struggle with in romance books. The only minor disappointment was the ending – maybe disappointment is the wrong word, but Bronte, who is, of course, stuck in a love triangle, ends up with the character I least expected. Despite this, I really enjoyed this book and read it in literally no time at all. If I’m ever wanting a quick and accessible read, Paige Toon is one of my go-to authors.
‘Auschwitz: A Doctor’s Eyewitness Account’ by Miklos Nyiszli
Even though I literally just said I wanted to read something different to my degree throughout the summer, I still had to include at least one history related book to this list. And this memoir happens to be one of the inspirations behind my dissertation. Miklos Nyiszli was a Jewish doctor sent to Auschwitz along with thousands of others, but his life was ‘spared’. Dr Josef Mengele, head doctor at the camp, used Miklos as his personal research pathologist – he was to conduct experiments on his Jewish victims.
This is an incredibly moving and eye-opening account from quite a rare perspective. Miklos, a Jewish victim of the Holocaust, shows how he struggled with conducting these experiments in order to save his own life, as well as battling with survivor’s guilt over all the deaths he witnessed. This is an extremely important read in Holocaust studies and tells a tale of survival in the face of evil.